Boogie Night!
Boogie Night! is a two-part story that was published in Issue 35 of the Moshi Monsters Magazine. Characters In order of appearance: *Captain Codswallop *McScruff *Mr Mushy Peas *Handy Van Hookz *Jaunty Jack *Bushy Fandango (name mention) *Poppet *Roary Scrawl *Bubba the Bouncer *Zommer (name mention) *DJ Quack (name mention) Story Part One It was Halloween and Captain Codswallop had gathered his crew around the bonfire to tell scary stories... "...And when he opened the cabin door," said the Captain. waving his arms wildly as he brought his tale to a close, "what should he see, but... A GHOST!" There was a long pause. "Is that it?" asked McScruff. "A GHOST!" Captain Codswallop said again. "Wooooooooo!" "But WE'RE all ghosts," moaned Mr Mushy Peas. "Yeah," nodded Handy Van Hookz. "It would be a bit daft if we are scared of ourselves." "Arr," agreed Jaunty Jack. "Like a SkyPony with a fear of heights." "Well I don't see as you lot can do any better," grumbled the Captain. "Its not easy tellin' scary stories when you're supposed to be one of the scary things. What puts the wind up a ghost, anyway?" "Sharks do it for me," muttered Handy. "Vacuum cleaners," said ack. "You don't want to get your sheet stuck in one of them!" "What about a shark with a vacuum cleaner?" said Mr Mushy Peas. "I'm not a massive fan of sprouts," said McScruff. "Oh this is hopeless," said Codswallop. "We might as well stick to what we're good at. If we can't scare each other, at least we can give the city-folk a fright. Come on, men, lets give Monstro City a Halloween to remember! A few minutes later, the ghostly crew of the Gooey Galleon were huddled together behind the Elder Furi statue in Main Street, ready to surprise Bushy Fandango's customers as they came out of the Bizarre Bazaar. "Shh!" said Captain Codswallop. "Someone's coming! Ready men..." The shop's door swung open and out stepped Poppet, carrying a brand-new stripy watering can for her Moshling garden. ""Wooooooo!" wailed Codswallop as he leapt out of the shadows, rattling his sword menacingly. Then, "Aaaarrrrr!" Then, "Woooooooooo!" again. "Cool costume," chuckled Poppet, waving at the pirate captain. "Happy Halloween!" and she skipped away, humming a happy tine. "Let me try," said McScruff, pushing past his crewmates as he spotted Roary Scrawl turning the corner from Sludge Street. He crept up quietly behind the Daily Growl editor and yelled at the top of his voice, "BOOOOOO!" Roary spun round to see where the noise had come from. "Oh, hey!" he smiled. "Nice costume. Happy Halloween!" "This i ridiculous," said McScruff as he watched Roary stroll off, whistling. "How are we supposed to scare anyone if nobody can tell the difference between a real ghost and a stupid Halloween costume?" "Don't give up lads," said Codswallop, trying hard to sound cheerful. "There's bound to be at least one scaredy-cat out and bout if we look hard enough. Let's try somewhere busier. To the Underground Disco, men! Follow me!" Part Two The door to the Underground Disco was blocked by Bubba the Bouncer. He was taking the tickets for a Halloween Party and glowering at the long line of monsters waiting to get in. "I don't fancy our chances with that fella," said the Captain, "not without tickets. Still," he grinned. "there's always a back door when you're a ghost, eh?" And with Bubba looking the other way, the captain and his crew slipped through the wall of the disco. Inside the disco, a fancy dress party was in full swing. Zommer was on the dance floor leading the dancers in a zombie shuffle, and in the corner was DJ Quack dressed as a 'Quack-o-Lantern', spinning a monster mash-up on his turntables. "Spread out, men," said Captain Codswallop, "and get spooking!" The pirates floated off and did their best to scare the party guests, but it was useless! Everyone was impressed by their 'costumes', but not one of them so much as jumped. "What a waste of time," said Jaunty Jack. "There's no scaring this lot." Just then, Roary Scrawl sauntered up, carrying a clipboard and pen. He was scribbling notes as he looked the pirate crew up and down. "Great costumes, guys. Seriously. Just great!" he said. "Come with me!" The pirates shrugged and drifted after him to the stage at the far end of the room. On stage, they lined up alongside Roary as he stepped up to a microphone and tapped it gently. "Ahem," Roary coughed. "Is this thing on?" Everyone in the disco stopped and turned towards the stage. "Moshlings and gentle-monsters," he announced grandly. "The fancy dress judging is over and we have a winner! A big round of applause, please, for our ghost pirate captain and his ghastly crew! Now let's see who this really is..." Roary reached over to remove the beard that he thought as part of Codswallop's costume. His hand went straight through the captain's airy, spectral body like a knife through quenut butter. "Ere, watch it!" said Captain Codswallop. The colour drained from Roary's face. "But you're a... a... real g-g-g-ghost!" His eyes rolled back in his head and he plopped to the floor like a sack of spuds. The party guests screamed and ran for the exit, knocking down poor Bubba and scrambling over him in their hurry to escape. Back at the Gooey Galleon, Codswallop and his crew were in fine spirits. "Did you see 'em, men?!" laughed the Captain. "They stopped dancing and started running before I'd even rattled me cutlass!" "Aye, Cap'n," spluttered Mr Mushy Peas, "and not a minute too soon. I hate discos!" "Why's that, shipmate?" asked Handy Van Hookz. "Well I'm a ghost, ain't I?" grinned Mr Mushy Peas. "I ain't got no body to dance with! Ha-ha-haaarrrrrr!" Category:Stories